Sept. 30, 2005
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Marquette converted all four of its shots on goal as the 15th-ranked Golden Eagles women’s soccer team defeated 5th-ranked Notre Dame, 4-1, in front of a record-setting crowd of 2,034 at Valley Fields.
Notre Dame (9-2-0, 3-1-0 BIG EAST) owned a 24-5 edge in total shots – including 17-2 in the second half – while finishing with an 8-3 margin in corner kicks (7-0 in the second half). The Irish continued to play minus two injured defensive starters, as preseason BIG EAST goalkeeper of the year Erika Bohn remains sidelined with an ankle injury while all-BIG EAST defensive midfielder Jill Krivacek is out with a knee bruise.
Marquette (10-1-1, 3-1-0) carried a 3-1 lead into the intermission before taking a defensive posture in the second half, adding to its lead on a quick counterattack after a failed Irish clearance.
The game marked just the eighth regular-season conference loss for Notre Dame in 11 seasons of BIG EAST play (88-8-3/.904).
Jen Buczkowski’s fourth goal of the season gave Notre Dame the lead midway through the first half but the hosts accounted for the rest of the night’s scoring, becoming the first team since early in the 2002 season to score four straight goals versus the Irish.
Notre Dame entered the night owning a 48-5 season scoring edge and had allowed just two of its previous 33 opponents to score more than one goal in a game.
Freshman midfielder Brittany Bock initiated the goalscoing sequence for the Irish, picking up her fourth goal of the season. Seconds earlier, the Irish had failed to clear their defensive zone but Bock tracked back to retrieve the ball and quickly shifted into her attacking mode. The first-year player then played a long ball with her left foot that sent freshman forward Kerri Hanks into the left side of the box. Hanks gained some space near the endline and served a low cross into the penalty area.
Several Irish players were in the area but the chance appeared to be squandered as the ball sailed by them – until Buczkowski raced into the top of the box, alertly trailing the play. The All-America midfielder clammy drilled a one-timer from 14 yards out, placing the ball under the crossbar for the 16th goal of her Notre Dame career (56:15).
Notre Dame had been 53-1-0 in its previous 54 games when scoring first but that trend came to an end after the hosts scored twice in the next 18 minutes.
Junior forward Meghan Connelly’s first goal of the season tied the game in the 26th minute. Marquette `keeper Laura Boyer – possibly the player of the game due to her 12 saves – sent a punt that cleared midfield and bounced free after a collision that drew no call from the referee. Connelly ended up with the ball in transition and slanted into the top right corner of the box before sending a rising shot inside the far-left post, as sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Karas was coming out to cut down the angle (25:45).
Another junior forward, Alison Loughrin, came off the bench and delivered the next two goals for the home team. Senior midfielder Julie Thompson assisted on the go-ahead goal, with Loughrin finding herself free as she neared the top of the box. The Irish defenders were unable to close in time and Loughrin lifted a shot over the charging Karas, with the ball bouncing into the net for her fifth goal of the season (37:51).
Loughrin’s goal produced just the second game this season in which the Irish have trailed and also marked just the second time in 2005 that Notre Dame has allowed multiple goals.
A leftside throw-in set up Marquette’s third goal six minutes later, with Connelly assisting on Loughrin’s second goal after two Irish players had collided near the top of the box (43:09). It marked the first time that the Irish had allowed three goals in the past 42 games, dating back to a 3-2 loss to Michigan in the regular-season finale of the 2003 season (the Wolverines similarly had just three scoring chances in that frustrating game).
Notre Dame controlled possession for seemingly 95% of the second half, launching 17 shots while forcing seven corner kicks. The Irish also shifted sophomore left back Ashley Jones into the midfield and ultimately moved fifth-year outside back Candace Chapman to forward in an attempt to jumpstart the offense.
Jones nearly made the score 3-2 in the 62nd minute, striking a leftfooted shot from deep on the left flank. The ball was headed for the upper corner on the far side of the goal but Boyer made a leaping stab to maintain the two-goal cushion.
A failed clearance produced the game’s final goal, as Thompson picked off the clear and sliced up the middle of the field before sending a shot from the top of the box that sailed into the upper right corner of the net for her second goal of the season (65:30).
It had been 73 games since Notre Dame had allowed four goals in a game, dating back to the 4-3 loss at Georgetown midway through the 2002 season. Friday’s action also marked the first time Notre Dame had allowed four straight goals in a game since a 4-0 loss to Santa Clara early in the 2002 season (a span of 80 games).
The Irish continued to force the action but could not crack the packed-packed defense as it protected the three-goal lead. Junior defender Kim Lorenzen – who returned to action after missing the previous six games due to illness – cracked a 20-yard shot from outside the upper right corner of the box, with Boyer making another leaping save near the far-left post to maintain the 4-1 lead with just 5:35 left to play.
The many corner-kick chances included one Katie Thorlakson serve from the left flag that nearly curled into the goal before glancing off the crossbar.
NOTES – The Irish had outscored their opponents 20-1 in the previous five games … Hanks pushed the nation’s second-leading point total to 38 (16G-6A) … Friday’s crowd was just one of many record-setting attendance numbers that Notre Dame has helped draw during road games in recent years … the early deficit caused ND to use a short bench, with Lorenzen and Susan Pinnick being the only reserves to see game action … Marquette held the lead for 74:15, marking the first time in 40 games that the Irish have trailed for more than 45 minutes in a game … the Irish were 46-2-2 in their previous 50 regular-season games … ND had allowed just six first-half goals in the past two seasons (4 in ’04, 2 in ’05) before seeing Marquette score three times in the first 45 minutes … ND entered the night as the nation’s top-scoring team (4.8 goals/gm) and had scored 3-plus goals in nine of the previous 10 games this season … the ND players have combined for 960 career games played and 588 starts … Chapman (78) is two games shy of becoming the 36th all-time ND player (18th in Randy Waldrum era) to appear in 80-plus games with the Irish … Thorlakson (81), Buczkowski (62) and senor M Annie Schefter (62) have played in every game of their ND career while junior D Christie Shaner has played in 61 of 62 (59 straight) … Hanks has points in 9-of-11 games this season and failed to score for just the third time in ’05 … Thorlakson was held without a point for just the third time in ’05 … ND is just 4-29-1 all-time when allowing 3-plus goals … ND had held the CK edge in 20 of the past 23 games (one even) … ND’s updated season stats now include a 49-9 scoring edge, plus 239-48 in shots ( avg. 21.7-3.3), 130-27 in shots on goal (11.8-2.5) and 73-15 in CKs (6.6-1.4).
#5 Notre Dame (9-2-0, 3-1-0 BIG EAST) 1 0 – 1
#15 Marquette (10-1-1, 3-1-0 BIG EAST) 3 1 – 4
ND 1. Jen Buczkowski 4 (Kerri Hanks, Brittany Bock) 20:01; MARQ 1. Meghan Connelly 1 (-) 25:45; MARQ 2. Alison Loughrin 5 (Julie Thompson) 37:51; MARQ 3. Loughrin 6 (Connelly) 43:09; MARQ 4. Thompson 2 (-) 65:30
Shots: ND 7-17 – 24, MARQ 3-2 – 5
Corner Kicks: ND 1-7 – 8, MARQ 3-0 – 3
Saves: ND 0 (Lauren Karas), MARQ 12 (Laura Boyer 13)
Fouls: ND 6, MARQ 10
Offsides: ND 0, MARQ 1
Yellow Card: Michelle Pitzl (MARQ) 56:15
Attendance: 2,034